Chapter Two: Tilted Crown

There was a deafening silence within the room as the young girl stared at her reflection in the mirror. Shadows bounced off the walls as the sun slowly began to sink. It had been quite some time since she first sat on the cushioned chair to look at herself. Right in the middle of her forehead was a foreign object that should not be there. A pimple. It wasn't noticeable, and one would have to squint to see it, but it was pretty apparent for Hinata.

"Something isn't right, baa-chan," She mumbled to herself. "I guess you were right. Someone is after my crown."

Slowly, she rose from the chair and walked towards the brown stand in the small living room. Each creak from the floorboard served as a reminder that life hated her. She looked down at the picture frame of her grandmother next to her urn.

Before Hinata could open her eyes, her father abandoned her and her mother. By the age of four, her mother left her in the care of her grandmother. That was the last time she had ever seen the woman. Her face was almost becoming a blur for Hinata. All she could make out was the pale skin, but worse was that lifeless stare she left her.

Being a bastard child whose parents abandoned her made Hinata an easy target for the other kids. Not only was she parentless, but she was also poor. The clothes she wore were hand-me-downs her grandmother received from the local church people. At night, they would eat natto, and if her grandmother had extra money, she would have a piece of fish to eat.

Everyone praised Hanako, her grandmother, for taking Hinata in and raising a young girl in her old age.

A slight giggle escaped from Hinata as she remembered that.

Praised? Raised?

Hanako believed in the rod of correction, even if Hinata did nothing wrong. At times she would hit Hinata for being a disobedient girl. If Hinata lied, that was a punishment. She received a hit if she slept early, didn't do her homework, cried, or complained. A hit that left her pale skin bruised for days. But that was okay, and they applauded Hanako for doing such a thing to keep her in check. To keep her from turning out like her mother. Everyone in the neighborhood knew of Hikari, Hinata's mother, and how much trouble she caused her mother.

The girl was the prime example of a rebellious child turned teen turned woman.

Poor Hanako.

No, poor Hinata. Between the constant bullying from school and the continual abuse from her grandmother, Hinata had no one to turn to until she met the next-door neighbor, Mei. Although Mei was much older, sixteen at the time, she liked Hinata and referred to her as a little doll baby.

"You have to use your looks, Hina-chan," Mei said, placing her hands on her hips. "Men don't care for brains. They'll do anything for ya when they see something they like."

"But baa-chan says I'm ugly," Hinata pouted. "The kids in my class tease me."

Mei hummed as she looked over at the girl. "I can see why. Poor or not, you have to take care of your appearance." She stooped to her level. "You're cute, Hina-chan, so why don't we fix you up."

Because of Mei's kindness, Hinata's true beauty showed, and eventually, she was voted the most beautiful girl in third grade. Because of that title, she made many friends and even had admirers.

Hanako didn't like this as she saw Hinata following in her mother's footsteps. She had to put a stop to Mei's influence.

"Now, Hinata, how many times do I have to tell you to avoid getting hit in your face? Your face will make a lot of money, so you can't get any scars." Mei said one day when Hinata came to visit her.

Hinata's vision blurred as she looked at the older teen. Her tiny body had splotches of purple bruises throughout, almost becoming unsightly for Mei to look at.

"Baa-chan says I shouldn't hang out with whores like you. She says I'm going to go to hell." The poor girl sniffled.

"The only one going to hell is her." Sighing, she grabbed Hinata and pulled her close to her. "Listen, Hina-chan. Your body is your ticket out of this hell hole. Don't ever let anyone damage what is yours. You take care of yourself; if you have to lie to make your way to the top, you better do it." She wiped the tears from Hinata's eyes. "I'm not going to be here long, Hinata."

Her eyes widened upon hearing that. "Wh-where are you going?"

"I'm getting out of these slumps to marry this guy. He's rich and is going to give me the world." She smiled dreamily. The smile wasn't for him but for the riches, she would soon receive. "Don't go falling in love with anyone. If he dies, you need to be able to move on to the next man, ok?"

For a nine-year-old, Hinata had a hard time understanding what Mei meant.

That was the last time she saw Mei and the last time her baa-chan ever hit her.

Before her grandmother's death, she would always tell Hinata that one day her crown would tilt, and everything she said or did would catch her one way or the other.

Hinata didn't believe it until now.

After years of going undetected as a pauper and fake, something like this happens. She could always transfer to another school, but everyone would realize she was a liar. The only one who could protect her from her downfall would be Naruto Namikaze. With him by her side, no one would dare reach for her perfect crown she worked for. But how? How could she win Naruto over without exposing herself?

Her eyes darted to the phone alarm ringing, and she knew it was almost time to put her lie into action.

There was a wave of nausea boiling into the pits of her stomach as she stared at the lobby's clock. Naruto would be here shortly, and she wondered how she would go about this plan… this unorganized plan. Any way she looked at it, her plans were illogical. Naruto will have to know, and she had no intention of telling him the truth. That boy could make or break you, and she didn't want to feel that power. That could spell disaster if he found out she was lying about who she was.

Her heartbeat quickened when she heard her phone ring.

Naruto: I'm outside.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took a deep breath before walking outside. The air was humid, and she began to feel sweaty. Just in front of her stood Naruto leaning on his black Bugatti car. He was attractive, even in the simplest piece of clothing. Everything he wore always looked rich on him. Even when he wore a simple long, sleeve, white collared shirt with black slacks. Hinata almost scoffed. That was probably worth a thousand dollars. That wasn't even considering his shoes, cologne, or that expensive gold watch on his wrist.

Damn. She was truly envious of him.

He didn't have to work for half of the things she had to.

He would never know what it felt like to struggle.

"Hinata," He greeted.

Smiling, she bowed. "I hope it wasn't out of your way to pick me up, Naruto."

"No, it wasn't. You know it's never a problem to pick you up." Hinata was taken aback by his smile. Maybe this was a sign of a blessing she would soon receive. "You look very lovely, tonight. Lavender suits you."

"You probably say that to every girl," She giggled.

"There's no need to say something I don't mean," Naruto replied.

Her cheeks turned red when she realized Naruto was checking her out, and he wasn't hiding it. Sometimes she felt he had done that before, but this was new.

"Do you like what you see, Mr. Namikaze? Perhaps a picture will keep you over," Hinata smiled cheekily.

"Let's take one, then."

Hinata posed cutely as Naruto took her picture with his phone's camera.

"Let's take one together," She suggested, standing beside him.

Standing so close to him made her feel warm, especially when he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She looked into the camera and smiled. When she saw the picture, she pouted when she didn't see him smiling.

"Now it looks like I'm forcing you to take a picture with me," she said, disappointed.

Naruto looked over the picture, and just as Hinata was about to walk away, he pulled her back. "I'll smile this time."

Her hands lay on his chest as pulling her back made her stumble into him. Looking up at him in this way felt odd.

Unlike her, who chose to keep her dirty secrets, Sakura, Karin, and the others had no problems discussing their sex life despite who was in the room. They would talk for hours about Naruto and how good he was. There was even a video in their group chat of Sakura sucking his dick. Although she didn't see Naruto's face, she knew he wasn't having a good time as he didn't even moan or groan.

He may be attractive, but Hinata never felt the need to have him in that way. Maybe he felt the same way, but now she was questioning his motives. Hinata never got that stern voice he showed Sakura and Ino when they began to piss him off. In fact, everyone encountered Naruto's bad attitude except her. She heard how he talked down to some students, and the incident with his former best friend made her believe it.

If Naruto said to jump off the roof, you better do it.

If he said shut up, listen.

And if he said he didn't like you, no one would.

"We should go now," Hinata said, moving away from him. "We can take a picture some other time."

Nodding, he put his phone into his pocket and opened the car door for her.

Something didn't feel right, but she chose to ignore it.

Naruto smiled at her. That was a blessing on its own.

If you wanted to have a good time, Kiba was your man to go to. As a high school student, he was an excellent party thrower; no one could deny that. While inside would be packed, outside would be filled with people wishing to get in.

Sometimes there would be famous celebrities there or underground rappers, as his parents were well-known in the music industry. Who wouldn't want to join? Especially with wealthy heirs all within that building.

Tonight's party was a little tamer compared to Kiba's other parties. People roamed freely throughout the house, sipping on wine and champagne offered by the servers. There were a few important high-end business clients from out of the countries.

"No drugs?" Sakura questioned Kiba.

A slight chuckle escaped Kiba before responding. "You don't need drugs to have a good time at my parties."

Her jaded eyes looked around until they met her mother's own. The poor woman trembled slightly and quickly lowered her head.

Rolling her eyes, she kept looking amongst the people until she spotted Ino's father approaching Mr. Inuzuka. He whispered something in his ear before the two disappeared with a few other men outside.

Ino noticed it but didn't say anything.

"Sakura, Ino!"

They both turned around to see a more petite red hair girl running towards them. She almost stumbled on her heels but quickly caught herself.

"Karin," Sakura greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm doing fine." She said, tiptoeing to see if she'll spot her cousin.

"If you're looking for Naruto, he's a little late, like always." Kiba sighed. "I'll be right back."

Ino watched as he left them to talk to some other classmates who had come.

"I heard he's picking up Hinata," Kin said, approaching them.

Hearing her name made Sakura gag.

"Did you and Hinata have a falling out? I told you it wasn't her who blackmailed me." Karin was surprised to see that reaction from Sakura.

"Yeah, we know, but she's a two-faced bitch." Ino commented.

"She can't be that bad. Naruto wouldn't associate with her." Karin piped up.

Both Sakura and Ino glanced at one another. It was confirmation to keep everything a secret.

"No drugs?" Kin asked.

"I said the same thing!" Sakura groaned. "I should have known it would have been this type of party."

"There you are!" Kiba exclaimed.

All heads turned when Kiba's voice carried throughout the music. Approaching him was Naruto, along with Hinata on his side. It didn't take a second before high-end clients came to the young teen.

Hinata took it as her chance to break off from him as the number of people quickly added.

"That's right. They are only approaching him because his parents didn't show up." Hinata thought to herself. His parents never came to an event like this, so no one would have barely seen them unless there were articles or pictures on the internet or business magazines.

"Hinata, you look gorgeous!" Sakura beamed.

"Looks like you came with Naruto after all," Kin grinned.

Ino eyed her up and down before her lips tugged up. "Hinata, your butt looks huge in that dress."

Karin's eyes widened at Ino's insult. Feeling the tension between this friend group, she excused herself before meeting with Naruto, who was still the center of attention.

"Ino's right," Kin gasped, staring wide eye. "I thought you were dieting."

"I may be a little bloated since it's almost that time of the month," Hinata answered. This was a tactic she was well aware of. They tried to get under her skin, but she wouldn't let them. If she wavered, then it would be all over.

"Period sucks, but you should know better than to give in to your desires," Sakura added. "You're already short, so if you gain any more weight, it will look bad on you. I guess your breast couldn't hold all the food, so now it's going to your ass."

Ino and Kin couldn't help but giggle.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Hinata smiled. "It's a good thing you wouldn't know what it feels like to have something sit on your chest, huh?"

Ino almost spat out the white wine she had been sipping on.

Kin covered her mouth to suppress her laughter.

Their entire group knew how self-conscious Sakura was because of her chest and had told them many times. She didn't get breast implants because she wanted to wait until after graduation so that she could enter university as a new woman.

"Sakura, you should close your mouth before flies fly in," Hinata hummed in amusement.

"Are we having a catfight over here?" Kiba grinned." Sakura looks like you're about to kill someone."

Naruto looked over at Sakura, then Hinata.

"Don't be silly, Kiba," Sakura laughed. "We were all talking before you rudely interrupted us."

Kiba huffed. "There wasn't much talking when I came over."

"We all agreed that Hinata's ass looks bigger than usual," Kin said. "Don't you agree? Kiba? Naruto?"

Kiba's brown eyes traveled to Hinata's backside, and just as he was about to say something, he felt a cold shiver travel down his spine. He didn't know where it came from but couldn't shrug off the feeling that it had somehow come from Naruto. Looking from the corner of her eyes, he noticed Naruto was looking somewhere else. How strange. Did he imagine it?

"Anyways, I was talking to Naruto about planning a trip to Konoha Island," Kiba said.

"It's been a long time since I've been there," Ino stated.

"Didn't we go a few months ago?" Sakura inquired.

"I know, but that was so long ago." Ino groaned. "I need a vacation."

Konoha Island was known for its five-star luxury hotels and park adventures. It was also an island funded by the Namikazes.

"Ino's right. That's been a long time. We should go." Kin chimed in.

While they were talking, Sakura kept eyeing Naruto, noticing he wasn't as talkative today. The boy barely spoke, but tonight he seemed quieter and more distant. She wondered if something had happened between him and Hinata on their way here.

"You okay?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," He breathed out.

"Do you want—"

Before she could respond, Naruto had already answered, "No."

It wouldn't be his first time denying a quick BJ, but in her mind, she believed Hinata was the cost of Naruto's attitude. Since school started, Naruto had been hinting to Hinata that he liked her, but the girl was so stuck up, which pissed Sakura off.

So, what! From what they knew, she didn't have any unique talent. She didn't play any instruments, speak a different language, or play sports. Hinata may have a pretty face and a nice body, but that was all there was for her.

Naruto noticed the slight smirk that made its way to Sakura's lips.

Soon, everyone would know about the true Hinata.

It was around 7:45 AM when Hinata entered her classroom. Everything seemed fine while she was getting ready for school, but the minute she approached their gates, something told her to leave. She knew she should have eased drop when Sakura, Ino, and Kin were standing by the lockers talking. That was weird because they were never the first to arrive. Usually, she would see Naruto in the mornings, but never them.

"Hinata," Sakura greeted with a smile that was forced. "Did Naruto take you home safely?"

"Yes," She managed to say.

Ino crossed her arm; her smile was anything but pleasant.

Kin wore the same expression, and if looks could kill…

"Come here. We won't bite," Sakura grinned.

Hinata reluctantly approached them. They were like demons who preyed on fear; she couldn't show them how fearful she was.

"I'm surprised you're here early," Hinata mumbled.

"Yeah, you know. We just had to see our best friend," Ino replied. "Who dropped you off? Your driver or the bus?"

Kin snorted.

"What are you talking about?"

Hinata's mind was going haywire; all she could think of was they knew. They knew everything.

A loud crash almost startled Hinata, but she remained calm while staring Sakura down. Seeing that look of confidence, Hinata displayed made her laugh. Drawing the back of her hand, she stared at the dent in the locker before flicking her wrist. Her knuckles were red, and blood seemed to seep through the minor cuts.

"I used to like that look on you, but now every time I see your face, I just want to mash it in." Sakura seethed.

"What is your problem, Sakura?" Hinata asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Don't act fucking stupid," Sakura sneered. "Ino and I have been getting a lot of cryptic messages from the same person who blackmailed Karin. Even Kin has been receiving a lot of messages, and it all leads back to you."

"I thought we were your friends, Hinata," Ino said, folding her arms. "I wanted to believe you about that Karin shit, but this is crossing the fucking line."

Hinata could only shake her head as she didn't understand where this was coming from. "I'm so lost. What the hell is going on?"

"Don't act like you don't know what we're talking about," Kin snarled at her. "Sakura sent a video to the group chat with her sucking Naruto off, so how the hell did this other person get it?"

"Everything we posted in that group, that person sent to us, but you know what," Sakura said, jabbing her. "There was never any dirt to tarnish your fucking name."

This couldn't be happening. Hinata looked back and forth at the angry faces hovering over her. Their eyes were telling her they were ready to attack her.

"What do I have to possibly gain by saying anything to anyone?" Hinata threw her arms up in dismay. "You three are my closes friends. I don't have anything to gain from this." She tried to plead. "You've known me for four years now!"

"And I wanted to believe that shit but do better when you're trying to spill our dirty secrets," Sakura said, forcing the phone in her face.

A video showed a screen recording of someone clicking on the text messages and scrolling through their group chat.

Hinata's face turned a ghastly color when she realized this was a screen recording of her phone.

Ino scoffed upon seeing Hinata's gaze at them.

"You know, you almost had us fooled with your innocent face," Ino commented. "We know exactly what you are. I can't believe we even let a slum like you into our group."

The doors to the class opened, and students began to pile into the room. Hinata swallowed the lump in her throat as she did not like where this was heading. She tried to break free from them, but Kin forced her back to the corner of the room.

"Where are you going, Ms. Fraud? Afraid of them finding out?" Kin smirked.

"Who do they have in the corner of the room?" Someone whispered.

"Isn't that Hinata?"

Hinata began to break out in a cold sweat when everyone realized she was in the corner. "Can we please talk about this outside?" She tried to plead.

"Why?" Ino's voice grew louder. "Are you afraid they'll find out you've been lying about who you are this entire time?"

It was loud enough for everyone to hear, and they were confused about what was happening. Yesterday, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and Kin were all buddy-buddy; now, there seemed to be a different atmosphere.

"Hinata, why don't you tell everyone how you fake your pictures!" Sakura said in a taunting.

Whispers filled the class, and the students were eager to know what was happening.

"Oh, Hinata didn't tell you guys? She's fucking poor and is on a scholarship with the school." Kin turned around to the students.

"Kin!" Hinata snapped.

Looking over her shoulder, she grinned at the girl. "What? I'm only telling the people what they need to know, right?"

"She's fucking dirt poor and has been pretending this entire time to be rich," Sakura burst into laughter. "How fucking pathetic do you have to be to stoop that low?" She held her stomach to stop the laughter from escaping.

"Hinata, are you from the slums?" Kiba questioned in disbelief. "Oh, man. I didn't know the slums could make pretty people."

Hearing that made Hinata tremble. Those taunts were coming back to her from when she was younger, and she wouldn't imagine, in a thousand years, she would hear that word again.

"Pretty my ass. She fucks any man to get what she wants." Ino shrugged.

Hinata pressed down on her lips as she stood there, clueless as to what to do. Everyone was beginning to stare at her. Their phones went on and off, probably of text messages about her.

"She doesn't even have anyone. No mom, no dad, nobody," Sakura said, eyeing her with the most hateful glare she could give. "I mean, I feel kind of bad now because who did you have to fuck to win that scholarship."

Her eyes met Mimi and Yuko's own, and she regretted it. They stared at her with concern, but there was a realization in their eyes, so they sat down, ignoring her.

That almost made her laugh. So, this was her karma.

"Damn, Hinata. Tell me it isn't true," Kiba said. "Damn." He said once more when noticing she didn't answer. "Naruto is going to get a fucking riot out of this one," He chuckled.

She almost hurled when she heard his name. If Naruto found out…

"Get a riot out of what?"

Her heart stopped instantly.

"Hinata is a fucking liar and a slum baby," Sakura beat Kiba to the punch. "She fucks men for money and has lied about everything she has. Not only that, but she also told us how she fucked you last night and that you weren't good."

Kin covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. "That's those slum babies for you. They only know how to fuck to get what they want."

Naruto's eyes instantly locked onto hers, making Hinata tremble.

"I-I didn't say that." She tried to defend herself, but who would believe her? She sounded unconfident that she even had a hard time believing in herself.

"But we didn't have sex," Naruto mentioned.

"How corny is that?" Ino laughed.

"Why did you say you fucked him?" Kin added fuel to the fire.

Hinata felt dizzy as she could hear Kiba giving Naruto the missing details he had not heard. Of course, no one acted out because they were all waiting for Naruto's reaction. He would be her savior or downfall.

That constant ticking from the clock was making Hinata extremely uncomfortable.

"Sakura, stop playing around."

Hinata's eyes widened when she heard Naruto's voice.

"Hinata wouldn't say something like that, and besides, Hinata isn't from the slums. I picked her up from the Hyde's last night. She was in the lobby waiting."

Everyone knew you needed a pass to get into the Hyde's as it was a well gated community.

Soon, everyone around them began to whisper. If Naruto said it, then it had to be true.

"B—but—"

"Oh, man. My heart almost dropped," Kiba laughed. "I knew you guys had to be joking around. Hinata from the slums? She's too good for that."

That made the other students laugh.

"Do you have proof of the scholarship?" Naruto inquired.

Ino and Kin bit down on their lips when spotting the look Naruto gave. It was better to save face now, and they prayed Sakura noticed.

They didn't have the proof to show, and everything was speculated, but many things did not make sense regarding Hinata.

Ino's eyes widened when she heard Sakura laughing. "Oh, come on. Did you guys really believe me? Hinata and I were just joking around. Right, Hinata?" Sakura said, slinging her arms around the girl. "What is everyone looking at!" She barked. "Bye!"

Some of them rolled their eyes, making their way to the desk.

"You can't be lying like that, Sakura," Kiba argued. "Did you want Hinata to die from embarrassment?"

"Oh, shut up," Sakura mumbled.

Hinata felt her eyes burn. The tears were threatening to fall.

"Um, I'm going to use the restroom," Hinata muttered, gently removing Sakura's arm. "Tell Iruka-sensei I'm sorry for being late."

Kiba shook his head as he made his way to his chair. Naruto glanced at Sakura once more before leaving the room.

Sakura screamed internally as she stared at the empty spot Naruto was just in. That message they received yesterday night after the party was all she needed to throw Hinata off her throne, but she had miscalculated. In order to throw Hinata off her throne and swipe her crown, Naruto had to be the one to do it.

"Don't worry, my sweet Hinata. That crown is tilting whether you like it or not."

"Hinata."

The young girl stiffened upon hearing the known voice. Luckily, the tears had not fallen because it would have been embarrassing if someone was to catch her crying.

"Naruto," She greeted, turning around. He searched her face, which made Hinata flustered. "T-thank you for back there." She whispered.

"Sakura could be vindictive. Did you two get into an argument?"

Hinata nodded her head.

"Someone sent a video to them saying I had given them screenshots and clips of our entire group chat. But!" She quickly snapped her head up. "I would never do anything like that! What do I have to gain by possibly blackmailing my friends?"

"I understand. It may be the same person who blackmailed Karin by bringing your name into the mix."

Hinata bit down on her bottom lip. She almost got caught! Her head was spinning, and she would have vomited right here if she had eaten anything just now! That reaction… to see those reactions was a nightmare. There were times she would imagine how the class would react if they found out she was lying, but her imagination had never come close to the real thing. They would have crucified her!

"Hey!"

She almost jumped when Naruto touched her shoulder.

"If there's anything you want to say, you know you can tell me, right?"

Hinata wanted to…. She wanted to tell him because he could protect her, and she almost did, but she couldn't. If she told Naruto the truth, would he react as they did? This choice would be a gamble.

Either he protects her or lets her loose to the wolves.

"I—" The way he looked at her was full of concern, but even seeing it in his eyes, she couldn't tell him. "Thank you, but I'm fine. You should probably head back to class. I don't want Iruka-sensei to yell at you."

Naruto nodded. "Don't worry about me, but don't worry, Hinata. I know you're not a liar like the rest of them."

Hinata almost fell to her knees. Naruto sounded sincere, and here she was lying to him. Now, she definitely couldn't tell him the truth.

"T-thank you for believing me."

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